Here For You
by BTM707
Summary: Despite everything, they would always be there for each other. They had a bond that transcended mere friendship - they were true partners in every sense.
1. Boredom

_So my favourite show in a long time is coming to a close next week, and I don't really know how to handle it. I've been watching Legend of Korra since its beginning, but the third and fourth seasons were just so strong that you couldn't help but become involved in what was happening. I need an outlet for my emotions right now, so I figure coming up with something Korra-related would probably be a good way to do it. I've always admired Asami and Korra's friendship; their close bond from the beginning of season three was basically what I'd been wanting from the get-go, but I love their level of co-dependence. Truth be told, I'm a hardcore Korrasami shipper, and this story will probably head in that direction at some point. But for now, I need to put their friendship in my own words so that I might find some peace before the series finale. This will probably turn into a collection of one-off chapters like Complement, just so I don't lose my mind in some convoluted plot._

_I think this could've been better, but I've written countless papers in the past few days and my brain is sort of fried right now. I have no idea when this takes place chronologically. I guess in the two week gap between seasons two and three? We'll pretend it all makes sense in context. Anyway, enough rambling. Enjoy!_

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><p><strong>Boredom<strong>

Air Temple Island had become such a frequented visiting ground of hers that she could probably get around blindfolded – visiting the Avatar on her down days had become a habit of Asami's whenever she needed a break from her work. Future Industries had only hours ago signed a deal with the Fire Nation military to add her famous mecha-tanks to their already impressive army, and she felt that she could afford herself the rest of the day off as a small treat. And of course, the first thing that had come to her mind was paying a visit to Korra on the island. It was justified, of course – it _had_ been a couple of days since they'd last talked. Of course, that interaction had led to Korra witnessing a mugging, being a little overzealous with her earthbending, and ultimately ripping up a portion of the park they'd been at in order to subdue the crook. And since she and President Raiko were already on shaky terms… Asami didn't blame Korra for hiding on the island for a few days.

The young Avatar hadn't been training with Tenzin or even playing with the kids, so Asami figured she must have been trying to fool her mentor into thinking that she was meditating. Of course Tenzin knew better than to believe Korra would spend any amount of free time locked in her head, but he played along with it anyway, to Asami's amusement. Just as she suspected, as she approached the meditation pavilion she found her friend leaning against the railing and staring out at the ocean, lazily resting her chin in her hand and looking rather bored.

"Is this a new form of meditation?" she called out in a playful tone, "Or are you just so talented that boredom is your focus now?"

Korra turned to face her, and the woman's face lit up immediately before jabbing back, "Well, I _am_ the Avatar. I'm pretty impressive already, wouldn't you say?"

"More than you know," Asami replied with a roll of her eyes, and Korra couldn't fight the laugh that rose to her lips. Asami entered the pavilion and warmly embraced her friend before asking, "Still won't leave, huh?"

"Not for another day or two," Korra responded with a guilty tone. "Give Raiko a chance to cool down before he refuses my offer to fix the park. I'm glad you came, though; I've been bored out of my mind all morning!"

"You usually play with Naga, don't you? Did she not want to play with you?" Asami asked, raising a brow in amusement. "Is she mad at you for not doing something again?"

Korra sighed and glanced back at the ocean, leaning against a post. "No, she's just not feeling well right now. Probably found some bad mushrooms or something – she's been throwing up all morning. The kids decided to take care of the new baby lemurs and Tenzin's taken the day off to meditate about something or other. I've had _nothing_ to do today," she finished with another small sigh.

"Guess it was a good thing I came, then," Asami said with a smile as she joined the Avatar at the railing, and Korra nodded gratefully before turning her gaze back to the ocean. "Although it doesn't really help your case when your visitors have to ride a ferry just to get to you."

"That's not entirely my fault! Blame the guy who tried to mug the old lady in front of me! And maybe Raava for my becoming the Avatar," Korra replied with a sheepish grin. "And speaking of a lack of visitors, where are Bolin and Mako? I haven't seen either of them in almost a week now."

Asami shook her head with a small shrug. "Mako said he was beginning some sort of undercover operation a few days ago. I'm not sure how exactly it works, since his face is known all over Republic City as either an athlete or a cop. I didn't think anyone couldn't recognize him at this point."

At this, Korra cracked a smile in amusement. "He takes his job way too seriously sometimes. I mean, he's a talented fighter and works as a detective – can't he just take care of a situation without tiptoeing around the details?"

"So… he should act more like you?" Asami asked casually. "I think Mako actually prefers staying on Raiko's good side. Not to mention Beifong would probably throw him in the river if he just kicked down a Triad headquarters' door and challenged everyone to a fight. Kind of defeats the purpose of having laws, y'know?"

Korra rolled her eyes and waved her hand aside. "Psh. Laws are for normal people. Things go better when you do what you want."

"And that's why you're currently hiding from the President and the press," Asami countered with a nudge to Korra's ribs. The Avatar turned a shade pinker before shrugging and mumbling "Not my fault…"

Asami giggled and continued, "I think Bolin's been cracking down on the Fire Ferrets to get them ready for next season. I don't really know why he bothers, honestly; his new teammates just aren't athletes."

Korra scoffed and glanced to the sky. "He's _still_ trying to make a team work? I thought he'd given up on pro-bending after Varrick got him into his movers." She turned around and stretched her back against the railing, with several vertebrae audibly popping as her toned muscles flexed under her shirt. "The poor guy needs to find himself some partners who actually _want_ to hit other people," she added, and Asami chuckled. Talking with Korra seemed to brighten her day no matter what the situation. It didn't even really matter what they discussed; the time spent together was simply relaxing.

"I think he's just trying to find something to do with himself," she said as Korra's eyes traced lazily around the island. "Mako's working all the time and Varrick disappeared after he broke out of prison. And I'm usually busy, and _you're_ usually busy…"

Korra opened her mouth to speak, but Asami quickly raised a hand to stop her. "I know, you're the Avatar, not your fault," she said quickly, and Korra's lips tugged into a smirk before settling back into a frown.

"Maybe I should invite him to stay here," she said quietly, losing herself in thought. "He loves playing with the kids, and he and Bumi could get up to whatever they wanted. Probably even give Tenzin and Kya some peace while they were at it."

Asami nodded. "That's actually not a bad idea. Mako said there's a vine growing through the middle of their apartment. It's making things difficult for them to really do anything there."

Korra blinked in surprise. "No one ever mentioned that to me! All I've been doing lately is trying to get rid of those stupid vines! The least I could do is try and clear a few out of their apartment."

"Well…" Asami hesitated before continuing slowly, "No offense, but what would you do? Mako's already tried burning them, but that just seems to aggravate them. And I think I know you well enough to guess that that was your idea, too."

Korra remained silent before turning away from Asami and muttering something that sounded like, "Maybe he didn't do it right…" Asami couldn't help but laugh, and Korra turned her gaze back to the woman before joining in. Their laughter echoed around the island, and neither was able to stop until their ribs had begun to ache.

Korra wiped her eyes before bending her knees and saying, "I think I need to sit down, I've been standing out here for hours. Should we head to the temple? I bet Pema has some tea on."

"Some tea would be nice," Asami nodded with a smile. "Besides, I want to tell you about the deal I made this morning. It's going to put Future Industries back in front where it belongs!"

"Sounds pretty exciting," Korra replied with a grin as she began heading toward the temple. "Tell me all about it. And tell me _every_ detail – I have a whole afternoon to kill." Asami's smile widened in response as her eyes traced over the woman's retreating form before moving to catch up with her. There was something about the Avatar that made her feel like they just understood each other. They were very different people, and yet they seemed to 'click' regardless of the situation. She never confided it to anyone, but these days it was Korra's sense of humour and unique insight that typically helped her get through the day. Sooner or later, if the conversation ever came up, she'd have to remember to tell the woman just how much she appreciated her friendship.

It was no surprise that, at that moment, the Avatar's thoughts happened to be along the same lines.


	2. Bet

_God, I'm freaking out for the series finale. Is anyone else losing their minds over the huge cliff-hanger from Kuvira's Gambit? Besides everybody, I mean. I also realized far later than I should've that Korra is coming to an end the same day as my anniversary. And since my girlfriend and I are both obsessed with the show… It's going to be a hell of an emotional day. I'm not sure I'll be able to deal with it._

_As much as I love how the intensity of the seasons keeps increasing, part of me actually misses watching pro-bending. I swear, if Bryke made a spin-off focused solely on pro-bending, I'd be all over that._

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><p><strong>Bet<strong>

"This is awesome," Korra said excitedly as she and Asami took their seats in the pro-bending arena. "I haven't seen a match in ages!"

"Well, you're welcome," Asami replied with a small smile as she took a sip of her beverage. "I figured it would be a better way to spend the evening than doing nothing."

Korra glanced around the arena excitedly, taking in the forgotten sights and sounds that she had come to enjoy as a pro-bender. Of course, watching a match was very different from actually competing in one; the moment that bell rang, all of the outside distractions simply shut off, and her entire world became planning each move against her opponents. In a way, she longed to be back in the ring – bending was what she had grown up with, after all. But mediating balance in the world tended to be a full-time job, and since she was no longer stationed in Republic City to train, her duties took her out of the city far more often than would have been feasible for an athlete.

Korra turned her attention to the VIP box and noticed it was empty. It was odd, considering the match was only minutes from beginning; someone should have been seated and comfortable by now. She turned to Asami and asked over the buzz of the crowd, "Who's in the box tonight?"

Asami turned her gaze to the box before shrugging. "I don't know. I didn't really ask when I bought the tickets. Maybe there's no one tonight."

Korra raised a brow at this. The first time she'd ever watched a match in the arena, she'd had the privilege of doing so from a dressing room. It wasn't much of a seat, but it was hard to beat the view she'd had of the match. Of course, that had nothing on the VIP box; situated right at the centre of the ring, it was the best seat to watch from. But it was reserved for only the most important guests, and every time she'd seen Asami at a pro-bending match, the woman was seated in the VIP box. Whether it was with her father or a guest she'd brought along, the head of Future Industries had never been seen sitting in the stands with the rest of the audience.

Asami noticed the look and stared at her. "What? What's wrong?"

Korra simply shook her head. "I dunno. I figured you'd be sitting in there tonight. I thought the reason we were out here was because someone had already reserved the box."

Asami glanced away, and Korra noticed a hint of embarrassment flash across the engineer's features. "Actually," she said hesitantly, "I wanted to sit out here tonight. I hope you aren't disappointed that we aren't in there. I should've asked before I bought the tickets."

"Oh! No, it's fine!" Korra replied quickly with a wave of her hand. "Of course I don't mind. I was just curious, that's all. Whenever I played I always saw you in there. I assumed it was just a rich person perk."

"Well, it is," Asami answered with a small shrug. "I just… I didn't want to be seen as a CEO tonight, and thought that you could maybe use a break from being the Avatar. I thought we could just be ourselves, watching a game just like everyone else here."

Korra was silent for a moment, studying the other woman intently. It had never really occurred to her, but Asami did appear in the public eye quite often, being more or less the face of innovation in Republic City as well as one of its richest residents. Seeing as she was brought up that way, Korra just assumed Asami was used to the attention. She had never once considered that the young businesswoman might appreciate anonymity once in a while, to just be a normal person having fun. It was certainly something she had come to consider lately, with her rising appearances in the media these days.

The bell announcing the beginning of the match shook her from her thoughts, and she smiled at Asami with a nod. "I think that was a great choice."

Asami smiled warmly in return before turning her attention to the game, which had quickly gained momentum. Korra followed suit, studying each playing intently and coming up with moves in her head as she watched opportunities unfold on the ring. It was tough to determine which team was winning, as the exchange of territory was constantly flowing back and forth. It was obvious that the teams were evenly matched, which meant that this was going to be one tense game.

I forgot how different it is to watch a match like this," Korra said as the first round came to a close. "I wish you could play this way. It's easier to see everything coming at you."

Asami laughed at her joke before studying her carefully. "Do you miss it?" she asked curiously. "Playing in the ring?"

"Totally," Korra replied without hesitation. "I've always thought the sport was fun. When I was little and got a break from my training, I would always try and find some White Lotus member who was listening to highlights of a match on the radio. I mean, I was stuck in a training compound 24/7, so there wasn't much for me to do anyway. I don't know how many other nine year olds were glued to the radio listening to pro-bending," she said with a shrug, and Asami laughed.

"I think if I hadn't been the Avatar, pro-bending would have been all I wanted to do with my life," she continued. "I mean, it's _bending_. As a _sport_. You can't find something more awesome than that."

Asami smiled widely as the second round began. "You were always fun to watch. There was something different about the way you played. It was like you kept a traditional element to your bending while everyone else focused on just hitting each other straight-on."

"Thank the White Lotus for that. That was years of their time spent trying to beat that into me," Korra said with a grin, and they shared a laugh. They watched the match continue for a moment until Asami sighed as a team was pushed back a zone.

"Come on," she mumbled. "The Rabaroos _have_ to win this round. I have money on this match and it doesn't help that they're already down a round."

Korra stared at her in surprise. "I didn't know you gambled."

"Well, I don't, really," the engineer replied. "But I overheard Bolin and Mako talking about the match this afternoon, and they were both going on about how the Tigerdillos were going to dominate the Rabaroos, and… Well, one thing led to another. I bet them each ten yuans that the Rabaroos would come out on top tonight."

Korra glanced back at the ring in time to notice a Rabaroo player fall back to zone three. "Maybe that wasn't a good idea."

Asami shrugged as the second round also went to the Tigerdillos. "What can I say? Not really a gambler."

Korra flashed a grin and watched the ring as the teams prepared for the final round. The match was as exciting as she'd imagined it would be, but the fact that Asami was here made it even more pleasant. For some reason, the thought of the rich, genius innovator enjoying something as mundane as pro-bending made her appreciate the woman's company all the more.

The final round began with an explosion of excitement as both teams lost a member to zone two within seconds. The crowd was louder than Korra was sure she'd ever heard it, and even she found herself on the edge of her seat, calling her own encouragement to the ring. The energy began increasing as the Tigerdillos fell back to zone two and the Rabaroos received the green light to advance.

"Go, Rabaroos! Show us a knockout!" Asami screamed, and Korra fought the urge to laugh at her friend's enthusiasm. She rarely got the chance to see Asami lose herself like this; the woman was usually so composed and well-mannered in public because of her reputation. It was certainly beneficial to act 'normal' now and again – they should start making a habit of doing this.

"Come on, you can do it!" Asami yelled as the Tigerdillos were quickly assaulted back into zone three. Korra glanced at the scoreboard and noticed that the time was ticking away. If the Rabaroos were going to win, they needed a knockout. And with thirty seconds left with three opponents still standing, the odds were stacked, even with the huge territorial advantage.

In an explosion of several colliding earth discs, the play was suddenly covered in a cloud in dust. Flashes of light and sounds of contact were all that could be determined through the haze, and the cheering from the audience somehow became more intense – everyone was anxious for the scene to clear in order to observe the result. From the dust, one player suddenly went hurtling into the water, and Asami jumped out of her seat in excitement.

"Yes! Two more, come on!" she screamed, and Korra found herself on her feet as well, as anxious as her friend to see for herself how the match's conclusion. The seconds were ticking, and the field was still partially obstructed by the dust. One way or the other, this match was going to be close.

At that moment, a second player followed his teammate into the water, and Asami grabbed Korra's arm in excitement. Korra grinned at the woman's enthusiasm while noting with mild surprise the strength of her grip. She was _really_ intent on winning that bet.

"You can do it! One more! Knockout!" the engineer screamed.

"Twelve seconds!" Korra yelled. "Come on!"

More flashes. A Rabaroo player was thrown back a zone.

"Spirits, come on!" Asami was all but hysterical.

"Eight!" Korra wasn't sure when she'd begun screaming as loud as her partner. "Seven!"

The dust had finally settled. The remaining Tigerdillo player was frantically dodging and deflecting, trying his hardest to survive the final seconds for the win.

"Five! Four!"

The Rabaroo firebender took a leap forward and prepared a blast in her palm.

"Three!"

Asami's eyes were wild. "Take the shot!"

Korra was pulling her hair in agony. "Two!"

The shot connected, and with a brilliant flip, the Tigerdillo player went spinning off the ring, contacting the water right as the buzzer rang.

No one moved. The audience fell silent, unsure of who had claimed victory. Korra and Asami stood rigidly with held breaths, watching the referees quickly converse. One of them made a sign at Shiro Shinobi, whose voice rang across the arena in excitement: "The hit was good! It's a knockout!"

The audience exploded into cheers at the unbelievable comeback. Korra and Asami grabbed each other into an embrace as they screamed their enthusiasm. Korra couldn't believe it: watching that situation was entirely more stressful than actually being in it. With so many of her own close calls in the ring, she was surprised none of her fans had ever had heart attacks.

"I can't believe it," Asami said breathlessly, releasing Korra and wiping excited tears from her eyes. Korra noticed how hoarse she sounded and grinned. She wouldn't have much of a voice tomorrow – that was for sure.

"Looks like you won your bet," she replied happily. "Was it worth the stress?"

Asami glanced back at the ring and ran her fingers through her hair in exasperation. "For that victory? Anything would've been worth the stress," she replied with a smile. "Want to come see tomorrow's match?"

Korra nodded without hesitation. "You know I'm in. I think the Platypus Bears are playing the Boar-q-pines. _That'll_ be a good match – the Boar-q-pines are on a hot streak. There's no way they're losing to the Platypus Bears!"

Asami only smirked at her, eyes dancing mischievously. "You want to bet, Avatar?"

Korra's grin only widened. "You're on, Sato."


End file.
